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same time forming a hole (pokorua) in the ground with its beak. (Ko te mahi a nga Kakapo ki te Whawharua, 

 he patu i ona paihau ki te whenua, me te rara a tona waha ki te tangi. Ahakoa he rau nga pokorua, ka 

 kiia tena whenua he Whawharua.) Each Whawharua has its leader, which is known as the Tiaka. 

 During the above performance the Tiaka keeps walking round the outer edge of the Whawharua, 

 presumably acting as a sentry, and does not join in the picnic. At dawn the Tiaka leads the flock back 

 to their hiding places. This Tiaka is said to have been always a small bird. The Natives say that the 

 birds collect to ' tangi.' This is certainly a curious and interesting item, and I have never before heard 

 it spoken of; but the old Maoris here stoutly maintain that it was a well-known fact in former days, 

 in the days of the Barangi-tahi. 



The Kakapo are said to perform the above antics every night during the winter season, but discontinue 

 it during the summer. 



These Natives likewise state that during the winter the Kakapo diligently collect the fallen berries 

 of the Hinau and Tawa trees, as also fern root (aruhe), and carry the same to secluded springs or pools 

 of water, in which they place them, to be used as food during the summer months, when such berries 

 are not to be obtained in the forest. When summer begins the Kakapo commence to feed upon the food 

 thus preserved. This would tend to prove the Kakapo to be a deeply sagacious bird, and one which 

 provides for the future. 



Canon Stack, in his very interesting account of the original occupation of certain districts 

 by the Ngaitahu, refers thus incidentally to the home of the Kakapo : " These young chiefs 

 (known as the Whanaunga-purahonui), having ascertained, from persons familiar with the 

 physical features of the country, the names of the various localities, proceeded to divide the 

 unallotted parts of the country amongst themselves ; and their procedure on this occasion 

 is of particular interest, as it serves to illustrate one method by which the Maoris acquire 

 title to land. Kakapo- skins were at that time highly prized, and every one of the party was 

 desirous to secure a parrot preserve to himself. As they approached the mountain known 

 as Whata-arama they each claimed a peak of the range. ' That is mine,' cried Moki, ' that 

 my daughter Te Aotukia may possess a kilt of Kakapo-skins to make her fragrant and 

 beautiful.' ' Mine,' cried Tanetiki, ' that the Kakapo-skins may form a kilt for my daughter 

 Hinemihi.' ' Mine,' cried Hikatutae, ' that the Kakapo-skins may form a girdle for my 

 daughter Kaiata.' Moki, one of the party, had his servant with him, who whispered in his 

 ear, ' Wait, do not claim anything yet ' ; and then the man climbed up into a tree. ' What 

 are you doing ? ' said the rest of the party. ' Only breaking off the dry branches to light 

 our fire with.' But he was in reality looking out for the mountain which Tura-kautahi 

 had told his master was the place where the Kakapo were most abundant. Presently he 

 espied the far-off peak. ' My mountain, Kura-tawhiti ! ' he cried. ' Ours ! ' said Moki. 

 The claim was at once recognised by the other members of the exploring expedition, and 

 Moki's descendants have ever since enjoyed the exclusive right to catch Kakapo on Kura- 

 tawhiti." 



Professor Newton, in his 'Dictionary of Birds,' writing of this species, corrects a current 

 statement that in this form of Parrot the furcula has been "lost," while the sternum lacks 

 a keel, and he explains that whereas the clavicles, which in most birds unite to form the 

 first-mentioned bone, are present, though they do not meet ; on the other hand, the keel on 

 the sternum is undoubtedly present, and, though much reduced in size, is nearly as much 

 developed as in the Dodo and the Weka. He adds (p. 474) : " Yet, though much has been 

 written about the Kakapo, there is no detailed description of its internal structure, a fact 

 the more to be regretted since the bird is obviously doomed to early extinction, and the 

 opportunity of solving several problems of interest, which a minute examination of its anatomy 

 might afford, will be lost if the matter be not speedily taken in hand. Few existing birds 





